Open source computer programs are software solutions that are developed by programmers without profit in mind. Instead, open source developers write programs and then give them away for free. Open source software poses a huge challenge to developers of commercial software packages. When consumers are faced with the option of paying a high price for software and a similar product for free many people would choose the free software. Offering a free version of a program that functions almost the same as an expensively priced commercial program provides an extremely tempting option for computer users.

Below are 5 of the most popular open source computer applications currently available along with the commercial software packages that they compete with:

1. Dia Vs Microsoft Visio
Dia is an open source drawing package that rivals the commercial Microsoft Visio package. Just as with Visio, Dia helps users develop and put together a host of charts, drawing and graphics presentations. If you need to put together flowcharts, UML diagrams, relationship diagrams or any other types of graphs or charts on a regular basis, Dia is an excellent open source alternative to the commercially priced Visio.

2. Clonezilla Vs Symantec Norton Ghost
Clonezilla is the open source solution for backing up files and important data on your computer. In fact, Clonezilla software can be used for backing up data, restoring data or for ghosting. Clonezilla is the open source rival of programs like Norton’s Ghost. It is capable of backing up everything on your hard disk, even including the operating system itself.

3. OpenOffice Draw Vs Microsoft Visio
OpenOffice Draw is a popular open source application that allows users to develop flowcharts, graphs and other illustrations. It is one of several open source software packages that rival Microsoft Visio. OpenOffice Draw can be used to create professional visual presentations of data which is extremely beneficial in the business environment.

4. Quanta Plus Vs Adobe Dreamweaver
Quanta Plus is a software package that provides an open source alternative to web design software packages such as Adobe Dreamweaver and Microsoft Frontpage. Quanta Plus is quickly becoming a viable alternative to other well-known software packages and includes a host of features that match those found in commercial packages and therefore is growing in popularity among web designers.

5. Gimpshop Vs Adobe Photoshop
Gimpshop is a software solution that not only provides an alternative to Photoshop but also rides on top of what has already been developed in Gimp. Gimpshop takes things further than Gimp to offer a graphics solution that is as similar as possible to Photoshop. Menus and tools have all been changed in Gimpshop to look as much as possible like Photoshop. This reduces the learning curve for people that want to use Gimpshop that are used to using Photoshop.

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